Ancient Greece: The Odyssey Christopher Nolan and Elon Musk

Built between 447 BC and 432 BC to honour the goddess Athena (Athenian Calendar) 

AD stands for Anno Domini, a Latin phrase meaning "in the year of our Lord". It refers to the years following the estimated birth of Jesus Christ.

Homer is the poet, The Odyssey is the book, and Odysseus is the main hero.

Athens created the world's first direct democracy around 508 BCE under Cleisthenes, which later flourished during the Greek Golden Age (477–431 BCE) under the leadership of Pericles. This era redefined political participation, philosophy, and art.

The many lives of the Parthenon

The "rape of the Parthenon" in Athens, Greece, refers to the removal of its ancient sculptures by the Scottish Lord Elgin in 1801, as well as major military destruction, such as the Venetian bombardment in 1687.

The Ottoman Empire used the Parthenon to store gunpowder during a war, and a Venetian mortar shell hit the building, blowing the roof off and causing massive structural damage.

The Acropolis is the ancient rocky hilltop citadel in Athens, Greece, while the Parthenon is the large, famous marble temple sitting right at the centre of that hilltop.

Lord Elgin, the British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, began stripping statues, friezes, and architectural pieces from the Acropolis with official local permission.

Elgin shipped these artefacts to Britain, and they were later acquired by the British Museum in London, where a large portion remains on display today.

 Greece views the removal as an act of pillage and demands the permanent return of the sculptures to be reunited in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. 

From 1801 to 1812, Elgin's agents looted about half the surviving Parthenon sculptures, as well as sculptures from the Erechtheion, the Temple of Athena Nike, and the Propylaia, were sending them to Britain in an effort to establish a private museum. Elgin said he removed the sculptures with permission from the Ottoman officials who exercised authority in Athens at the time.

How Ireland became a hostage of American companies - 3

Ireland, The Netherlands and tiny Luxembourg are Europe's top corporate tax havens - 2

Data compiled by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) has revealed that the top 10 corporate groups accounted for about 59% of all corporation tax receipts [U.S.]

In 2025, foreign-owned multinationals in Ireland paid the bulk of Ireland’s corporation tax receipts: in 2025, they paid 87% of them [U.S.]. 

While 3 countries are in the top 10 corporate tax havens in the world, [U.S.] - 1

Enterprise Ireland, a government unit, said this year that client companies achieved record exports of €38.86bn in 2025 [very poor results].

Exports to Europe and the UK both exceeded €11bn for the first time. Exports to North America grew to €7.34bn in 2025, a 1% increase on the year prior. 

"Enterprise Ireland is very proud of the €43.73bn contribution these companies made to the Irish economy in terms of expenditure last year, equating to almost €120m per day (on payroll, goods, and services), and they now employ 232,425 people in towns and villages around the country," said Enterprise Ireland chief executive Jenny Melia. 

On the contrary, the record is very poor.

Denmark's population is approximately 6,032,900, while Ireland's population is around 5,400,000 to 5,500,000.

Denmark's international goods exports reached €129.59bn ($148.1bn) in 2025, compared with Ireland's €38.86bn.